The revelation came during a preliminary hearing for Broyard, 22, who was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 23-year-old Michael Broyard. The older brother was found stabbed to death last Nov. 6, his body discovered underneath a mattress inside the family's burning home in the 3300 block of Belfort Street.

Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell ruled there was probable cause to advance the case, and refused to lower Ian Broyard's $400,000 bond. After seven family members who could be called to testify during a trial were removed from the courtroom, NOPD Homicide Detective Tanisha Sykes revealed that investigators are looking into links between Ian Broyard and the unsolved stabbing death of 83-year-old Edward Richardson, a retired City of New Orleans Public Works employee.

Richardson was found dead the night of Jan. 1, 2013, inside his apartment at The Terraces, a senior living center in Mid-City. Sykes testified that, after Michael Broyard's death, a daughter of Richardson had informed police that Ian Broyard also was related to Richardson.

The detective said Richardson's killing was "a case being revisited at this time," based on Broyard's relation to the man, the fact that no forced entry was apparent at Richardson's apartment, and similarities between the killings. Sykes said the elderly victim was stabbed more than 50 times in his kitchen, and that his body was found "under a bedroom mattress set afire."

View full sizePolice have booked Ian Broyard on suspicion of second-degree murder in the November 2013 stabbing death of brother Michael Broyard, left, and said he is a person of interest in the stabbing death of relative Edward Richardson, right, 10 months earlier. (NOLA.com archives)

Police have not made an arrest in connection with Richardson's death. Defense attorney Kevin Boshea got Sykes to admit that police had no evidence linking his client to that case. But when he asked Sykes if Ian Broyard could emerge as the suspect in Richardson's homicide, she answered, "Possibly, yes."

Ian Broyard showed little emotion as Sykes testified for nearly 40 minutes, but rapidly bounced his leg as he was hunched at the defense table. Court documents revealed earlier that family members told police Ian Broyard, a former football player at Brother Martin High School, had been diagnosed as bipolar and schizophrenic in June 2013, and would sometimes act violently toward others. That diagnosis came five months after Richardson's death, and five months before Michael Broyard was killed.

Under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Abigail MacDonald, Sykes testified that the mother of the Broyard sons said she left the Belfort Street home around 7:15-7:30 a.m., with Ian in a bathroom and Michael sleeping in his bedroom. The sons' sister returned home less than an hour later, finding the front door open and smoke pouring from the home, Sykes said. The daughter told police she called her stepfather, and then 9-1-1 to summon firefighters.

Sykes said the stepfather arrived first, and found that the house appeared to have been "ransacked." Firefighters quelled the blaze and located Michael Broyard's bloodied body under a mattress in his own bedroom. She said firefighters and police also discovered three knives, one of which was wrapped in a latex glove near a bottle of bleach. Several blood samples were recovered from the home, she said, and police found bleach had been poured onto Michael Broyard's mattress, some clothing found in the living room, and the family's sofa.

The detective said "several hours had passed" before Ian Broyard returned home. Sykes said police observed scratches on his forearms, and said he was holding his stomach as if in pain. After being taken to NOPD headquarters, Sykes said Ian Broyard requested both an attorney and medical attention. She said he complained of an injured toe, and asked to be taken to a hospital "to be checked for STDs (sexually transmitted diseases)."

Near the crime scene, investigators also found a witness who said he saw a hooded man on a red and white bike who stopped to put something in a garbage can behind a house in the 3200 block of Derby Place, about three-tenths of a mile from the Broyards' home. In that can, Sykes said, police found a crude body-armor vest made from book covers and gray duct tape that matched similar items recovered from the Broyards' home. The vest was stained with blood. The sons' stepfather told police the only item missing from the ransacked home appeared to be a red and white bike taken from their garage. That bike, Sykes said, has not been recovered.

Ian Broyard was not arrested until Feb. 26, after detectives received DNA results from a Louisiana State Police lab. Sykes said blood on the vest gave a DNA match for Michael Broyard, while DNA from unstained portions of the vest and from tape found in the home matched Ian Broyard. His arrest warrant also said seven latent fingerprints were recovered from the duct tape used to fashion the book-cover vest, and they also matched Ian Broyard.

Sykes also testified that police received a call from one of Ian Broyard's grandparents expressing his suspicion of Ian's culpability in Michael's Broyard's death before Ian had returned to the crime scene. The grandfather said Ian had been prescribed the antipsychotic drug Risperdal, used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania, and that he did not believe the medication had been taken.

Sykes revealed two other discoveries of potential evidence. She said the sons' stepfather called police about 7-10 days after Michael's death to report finding a possible murder weapon under some debris near a burned closet in Michael's room. And she said relatives also reported finding a bag belonging to Ian Broyard left at a grandparent's home that contained a change of clothing, gloves and a butcher knife. However, on cross-examination, that knife was not again mentioned among the contents of the bag.

Boshea elicited admissions from Sykes that police had no witnesses to Michael's slaying, no evidence linking Ian to the death of Richardson, no DNA or fingerprint evidence linking Ian to the recovered knives, and had never shown the suspect's photograph to the witness who saw the bike rider depositing items in the trash can. The attorney sounded incredulous that police also had not submitted a large box of matches found in the home for DNA or fingerprint analysis, after Sykes testified the box was found on the kitchen table with numerous struck matches lying around the burned house. The detective said police still were waiting on an arson report from a New Orleans fire marshal.

"This is arguably circumstantial evidence," Boshea said. "Not to offend the detective or the department, but they've had five months to work on this case and they have nothing to tie him to this case."

Cantrell disagreed, but also denied a state motion that Broyard be held without bond as the case moves forward. Family members declined to comment outside the courtroom.

Woman Let Boyfriend Sexually Assault Disabled Teen: Cops

Holly Morrison, 34, of Westbrook now faces three felony charges of gross sexual assault, according to Bangor Daily News. She was indicted last Friday, and her case file was made available in court on Monday.

Cass, who was a former reserve police officer, used objects to assault the young girl at least three times while Morrison allegedly watched. The girl told police that Morrison helped Cass by insisting the teen get into bed and shower with the two of them.Morrison's boyfriend, 59-year-old Donald Cass, was sentenced on Feb. 24 to serve four years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of gross sexual assault, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Morrison told police she met Cass at a "swingers party." Cass, who was married at the time, told his wife he was going on hunting or fishing trips on weekends when he would instead visit Morrison, according to court records. The relationship continued for five years without his wife ever knowing.

Morrison was released on a $500 cash bail and is due back in court June 5, according to The Daily Mail.

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- A 40-year-old man is in the Tuscaloosa County Jail after allegedly pouring hot grease on his sleeping girlfriend's face, investigators said Tuesday morning.

Lt. Kip Hart, the assistant commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit, said officers responded to a home on Ozment Road in predawn hours Sunday morning. They found a badly burned woman who told investigators her boyfriend was responsible for her injuries and as she was sleeping, he poured hot grease over her face and arms because their relationship was ending.

The victim was taken to UAB for treatment of injuries that Hart called serious but not life-threatening and warrants were issued for the accused boyfriend, Anthony Dwayne McGraw, who left the scene before officers arrived Sunday.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force tracked McGraw down and arrested him Monday evening. McGraw was booked in the county jail on charges of first-degree domestic violence assault and his bond was set at $60,000.

The man arrested in connection with a barrage of gunfire in the 7th Ward displayed bizarre, erratic behavior that included a home intrusion, shooting at a truck occupied by a young child, and pointing his weapon at three different New Orleans police officers before he was caught, according to police and eyewitnesses.

The suspect, Blake Authement, an unemployed 19-year-old from Tickfaw, La., appeared in court Tuesday after getting booked on five counts of aggravated assault, three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and one count of criminal damage to property. A judge ordered him held on a $500,000 bond.

Authement, who told Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell that he was a former bank employee, appeared calm in his court appearance. He looked down and shook his head as a prosecutor read the police account of the Monday mayhem for which he is accused. He finally turned to the public defender representing him and said, "I didn't do that."

But an arrest report and witnesses gave the first detailed account of what transpired, including a remarkable amount of restraint shown by NOPD officers who had a gun pointed in their direction but took down their suspect without firing a shot.

"This was one time you wished the police department would waste somebody," said one man who police said was threatened by Authement's gun Monday.

The wild morning began around 9 a.m., when the shirtless, tattooed man walked uninvited into a home in the 1600 block of Touro Street. There were approximately seven people, including some visitors, inside the rental property, according to a witness that asked that his name be withheld. Nobody knew the slender stranger who told them to call him "Alabama," and he was asked to leave.

Minutes later, Authement again walked into the house, this time brandishing a black handgun, the police report says. A witness in the house said the man began haphazardly robbing the occupants, filling three bags not only with cash, but also with items such as soap, toothpaste, deodorant, hair clips, a CD case and a toothbrush. He waved the gun in the direction of many houseguests, then turned and fired a single shot through a front living room wall.

"I just thought, 'This dude is crazy,'" the witness said. "I have no idea what his mental history is or the kind of drugs he was on. It was really weird.

"But you can only be so demanding when someone has a gun."

After firing the first shot, the man left the house, and dropped his bags of bizarre booty outside. He began pacing up and down Touro Street, police said. He spotted a nearby pickup truck with two construction contractors who were speaking to a colleague standing outside their vehicle.

Police said Authement pointed the gun at the three men and yelled, "Get out the (expletive) truck!" He repeated the order until all three men ran to a home they were working on in the 2000 block of North Claiborne Avenue. One of the men managed to flag down an unmarked police car manned by Sgt. Dennis Laurie.

Authement, meanwhile, ran down an alley toward Pauger Street, then made his way to the intersection of Pauger and North Derbigny Street.

It was there that another contractor, Victor Munoz, was in a pickup truck with his 5-year-old son Bebe. Munoz had just stopped at a stop sign when he saw the man pointing a gun in his direction. He grabbed his son and ducked as five gunshots rang out. Shattered glass rained on the two as the man shot out their windshield, rear window and front fender.

Laurie, now joined by NOPD Detective Keenen Shield, heard the nearby shots and made their way down Derbigny Street toward Pauger. Authement stepped out from a grassy area on Derbigny and pointed his gun at the officers. They ordered him to drop the weapon, but said Authement answered, "No, you drop your (expletive) gun!"

Authement darted back into the grassy area and slipped between houses to emerge on Pauger Street, police said.

NOPD Officer Melvin Wiltz pulled up at the intersection of Claiborne and Pauger and saw Authement walking in his direction. Police said Authement pointed his gun at Wiltz, then ran between houses toward St. Anthony Street. Police set up a perimeter and temporary command post, and Authement was flushed out and captured at 10:24 a.m. near an alley at 1820 N. Derbigny.

One of the Touro Street renters expressed relief that the man was captured.

"My landlord is (angry) about the hole in the wall, and the neighbors are curious, wondering if this was some friend of ours," the man said. "But we had no idea who this guy was."

Tulane football freshman accused of raping passed-out high school student in dorm room

The 18-year-old woman told police that she awoke at 4 a.m. on April 14 to Niguel "Teddy" Veal, 17, on top of her having sex with her. Veal, a wide receiver recruited from West Jefferson High School, enrolled at Tulane this spring and is considered one of the university's top recruits.

According to New Orleans police reports, the woman and her friend, described as "another female athlete chaperon," drank alcohol with Veal and his roommate on the evening of April 13 before heading back to the men's dorm room at Butler Hall on Tulane's campus.

After watching a movie, the woman had consensual sex with Veal's roommate, then fell asleep in his bed. The roommate left the room. While he was out, Veal got on top of the woman and raped her while she was "asleep and unconscious due to alcohol inebriation," according to a Tuesday (April 21) police bulletin issued by NOPD Sex Crimes Detective Vernon Haynes, who secured the arrest warrant earlier that day.

Veal, of Gretna, was booked Tuesday with one count of simple rape. Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell set Veal's bond at $20,000. He will turn 18 on May 6, records show.

Veal's aunt, Tamice Glasper, who raised him since his mother died when he was in the 9th grade, defended him. She said Veal has never been in any trouble before and has always earned As in school.

"Niguel is a good person," she said. "I really believe in my heart he did not rape her. He is a good child. I believe in my heart to God he did not touch that girl."

Prosecutors sought to keep Veal in Orleans Parish jail until Wednesday morning, when he would sign a restraining order preventing him from contacting the woman. But because Veal's bond was already being processed, Magistrate Commissioner Albert Thibodeaux allowed Veal to be released Tuesday evening, and ordered him to return to court Wednesday morning to sign the document.

"Thank you, sir," Veal told the judge, as he stood in an orange jumpsuit with his hands clasped in front of his body. Veal has hired an attorney but that name was not immediately available in court records.

Veal was suspended from the team immediately upon his arrest, said Tulane spokesman Michael Strecker. He declined to comment on any pending disciplinary action on Veal's enrollment at the university, citing federal privacy laws.

Veal is currently enrolled in Tulane's School of Science and Engineering, according to an online student directory.

Slain teen Deion Robair brought the gun used in his murder, witness says

The gun used to kill 16-year-old Deion Robair last month was brought to a friend's house where the shooting took place by Robair himself, a witness has told New Orleans police.

"I'm surprised to hear that," said Robair's grandfather, Oliver Ducre. "He got in trouble with a gun once. I don't know where he would've gotten another one."

The revelation was contained in court documents that offered the first detailed account of theMarch 19 shooting in Desire that made Robair, 16, the city's youngest homicide victim this year. Authorities said Robair bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the shoulder inside a friend's home in the 3600 block of Kimi O'Gray Avenue.

Donte Veals, a 16-year-old schoolmate at George Washington Carver Collegiate Academy, has been booked with second-degree murder in the case and is being prosecuted as an adult. Veals was arrested March 20 and is being held at Orleans Parish Prison on a $500,000 bond as he awaits his next court hearing set for May 25.

In warrant applications to search Veals' home for evidence and to obtain a DNA sample to compare with the weapon, it is clear police do not believe the explanation of "rough-housing" first offered to the public as cause of the shooting.

Police have said at least one other teen classmate was present, as both Veals and Robair had been invited to the home of a friend whose grandmother was not home that evening. Robair had told his family he was going out to a basketball game, Ducre said.

The witness to the shooting told police Robair brought a revolver to the house. The witness told police he was uncomfortable with having the gun in the home and asked Robair to remove it. Robair instead unloaded the weapon and placed it and the bullets on a nearby bed.

The witness said Veals grabbed the gun and put a single bullet into the chamber of the cylinder, announcing he wanted to play Russian roulette. The witness said Veals spun the cylinder and pulled the trigger, eliciting a dry fire. He pulled the trigger again, the witness said, and got another dry fire. The witness said Veals pulled the trigger a third time, and shot Robair in the shoulder.

The witness said Veals apologized, but ran out the back doorafter Robair collapsed and began to bleed out. The report says Veals escaped in a dark sedan, discarding the revolver as he fled to his home in the 1200 block of Congress Street.

Joyce Burke, the grandmother in whose house the shooting occurred, said last month that it was her family members who recovered the revolver after investigators departed.

"The NOPD didn't even do their job," Burke said. "We found the gun in a garbage can after they left."

Police obtained search warrants for Veals' car and home, noting that Veals changed clothes after arriving home that night. Results of those searches and the DNA sample have not been disclosed.

Robair was a 10th grader who played defensive end for Carver's football team. The story of his tragic death led to an impromptu funeral appearance by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite Jr. last month at services for the teen at Mt. Everest Baptist Church. Polite implored teens who attended to forgo thoughts of retribution and end the cycle of violence on New Orleans streets.

Ducre said his grandson had faced one juvenile arrest for illegal possession of a gun, and had completed probation for the offense.

"All we did was try to keep him straight," Ducre said. "If we asked him about things, he'd say, 'I didn't have that,' or, 'I was just with those guys.'

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